American Tropic - Hardcover

Kaufelt, David A.

3.83

6 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671528823 ISBN 13: 9780671528829

Publisher: Poseidon Pr, 1987

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Escaping the tyranny of the Spanish Inquisition, two men and a beautiful woman journey to the New World where they unknowingly fulfill an ancient prophecy of the Taquestas, the native Indians of Florida

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From Publishers Weekly:

In this vigorous multi-generational saga, Kaufelt ( Silver Rose, Late Bloomer uses the fortunes of three families to encompass and dramatize the history of Florida, or at least large chunks of it, all the way from the 1490s to the 1960s. He starts with three escapees from the Spanish Inquisitiona grandee, a Jew and a fiery actresswho come to the New World and prepare the way, albeit unconsciously, for a Indian prophecy that the descendants of "Three Black Doves" will possess what is now Florida and destroy the work of "the Great Spirit." The whole tale is underpinned with solid historical research, yet the first half is the best, sections dealing with bravadoes the likes of Ponce de Leon, the brutal Seminole wars, Andrew Jackson's rough-handed annexing of Florida to the U.S. In the second half, which goes from the booming of Miami to the arrival of refugees from Castro's Cuba, both story and characters take less hold on the imagination. All in all, however, the book is a vivid, enjoyable read. Kaufelt leaves moot the question of whether the legacy of the three "doves" has indeed been to bring disharmony to "the World Below the Sky." Major ad/promo.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

Kaufelt offers the history of Florida from discovery to 1961 in a book that is reminiscent of the works of James Michener but without the verbosity and excessive detail. Fourteen years after John Cabot sailed down the coast of Florida, three people were removed from the jails of the Spanish Inquisition, put on a ship, and sent to the New World because of a dying bishop's dream of the freeing of three black doves. The red-haired prostitute, scholarly Jew, and noble Spanish hidalgo are the first of many generations through which the five-part story of Florida is told. Kaufelt is a bit too ambitious in his scope. Some segments and characters have less depth and interest than others and are occasionally confusing. His depiction of the Cuban Revolution, however, provides a poignant ending. Andrea Lee Shuey, Dallas P.L.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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